Field emission display devices show promise in providing a low cost alternative to LCD displays, especially with respect to laptop computers. Furthermore, field emission devices are beginning to be practically applied in other areas, such as billboard-type display devices.
One of the challenges in producing a good field emission device or display is the manufacture of a field emitter material, which is inexpensive to manufacture yet efficient with respect to power consumption and consistent in its display characteristics. Carbon and/or diamond field emitter materials have shown promise in meeting such constraints.
One of the problems with the present method for fabricating a matrix addressable display using such a film is that in order to pattern the film, one or more lithography and etching steps have to be applied to the film after it has been deposited. Such processes degrade the film's performance and emission capabilities, often to the point where the film emissions are inadequate. As a result, there is a need in the art for a fabrication process whereby post-deposition processes performed on the film are not utilized.
Furthermore, to make field emission displays economically feasible, there is a need to enhance the field emission properties of the deposited film. Therefore, there is a need in the art for improvements in the emission properties of carbon and diamond-like films.